Institutional Drivers of AI Adoption and Digital Transformation in Management Consulting: Evidence from Romania and Moldova

DT and AI integration is repositioning MC from a traditional late adopter into a hub of methodological innovation, yet comparative empirical evidence from CEE remains scarce. Prior research applying the TOE framework and sociology of professions has generally examined firm-level technological conditions, national institutional context, and relational dynamics separately, and their observable associations and differences between comparable transition economies remain insufficiently documented. This study examines how these three dimensions are associated with the adoption of AI and DT in CM firms in Romania and the Republic of Moldova. A mixed convergent–parallel design cross-validates the qualitative thematic coding of the interview text and questionnaire through quantitative statistical testing on the same integrated sample. The results showed that the country was significantly associated with the perception and level of digitalization of AI, with skeptical attitudes towards AI concentrated in the Romanian sub-sample and a more instrumental and pragmatic orientation towards AI in the Moldovan sub-sample. Technological conditions at the firm level showed no statistically significant association with AI-related organizational practice, and relational culture emerged as a recurring qualitative theme in consultants’ reports of client trust, especially in the Moldovan sub-sample. The country-level context showed the most consistent associations with the differences observed in this comparison, refining the extended TOE framework for professional services in emerging and transition economies and suggesting that policy interventions and professional associations should give weight to the institutional context alongside firm-level training.